A growing corruption network has taken root within Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Agency (ICA), with mounting evidence of widespread malpractice, favoritism, and financial exploitation.
Leaked internal communications and accounts from whistleblowers describe an agency deeply compromised by the systematic imposition of illegal fees for routine services. Applicants seeking simple passport corrections are being charged large sums. Meanwhile, visa offices have reportedly become hubs for informal cash collection. Recruitment also appears to be driven more by nepotism than merit.
In one troubling case, the official in charge of the Verification Department told Somali embassies to stop handling passport services unless he approved them. Embassy staff were also told to charge high fees for small mistakes in documents, leaving many people stuck and unable to move forward.
Somalis living in Europe are among the hardest hit, especially those trying to correct mistakes in their identity documents. Sources describe a system designed to frustrate and extract, where access to lawful services is often contingent on under-the-table payments.
“This isn’t public service. It’s institutional extortion,” said one source familiar with the process.
The scheme appears to span multiple ICA departments and diplomatic outposts, especially in cities such as Nairobi, Berlin, Rome, and Cairo.
Senior figures responsible for passport corrections, document printing, and human resources are allegedly complicit in what insiders describe as a tightly coordinated operation.
Further revelations from ICA’s Mogadishu headquarters expose a pattern of concealed revenue collection within the Visa Department. Passports officially listed as “free” are only issued upon payment of unregulated fees. Insiders say the proceeds are siphoned into an informal system, discreetly shared among current managers and influential former officials. These funds remain completely outside government oversight.
Since Director Mustafa Dhuxulow took office, the agency’s staffing has surged. The vast majority of new hires were reportedly recruited without competitive processes. A disproportionate number have been assigned to the Human Resources Division, while others have been scattered across regional offices and airport terminals.
Many of the recruits are said to lack clear job descriptions or even physical office space. Some reportedly fail to report for duty at all. Multiple sources allege that a substantial portion of these appointments involve close relatives or allies of Dhuxulow himself.
“This isn’t a case of poor management. It’s the deliberate capture of a public institution,” said a civil society advocate monitoring governance in Somalia. “We are witnessing the conversion of the ICA into a personal power base.”
The scandal comes amid rising public demand for reform. Observers say the government’s response will shape its credibility. So far, Villa Somalia and the Ministry of Interior have stayed silent and ignored requests for comment.
Meanwhile, countless Somalis at home and abroad remain cut off from services that offer their only path to legal recognition and economic opport